Nightmare
by Sadako Kurosawa
Summary: [AU Advent Children Fic] Marlene is captured by Loz, and Yazoo is given the duty to watch over her. But what does she think of this? And what will Yazoo do when he finds out there's more to life than just following orders?
1. Chapter One

_Nightmare  
  
Chapter One  
  
Written by: Chibi Sephy  
_  
Author's notes: This is an 'Advent Children' fanfiction, of sorts. However, it is not my take on what I believe will happen. I just wanted to clarify  
that.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Advent Children, or any of its characters. Thank you.

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Two people were standing in a long forgotten church, staring at each other, neither moving. One was a woman, with long black hair, clothed entirely in black, a pink ribbon tied around her arm, in memorial of a lost friend. The other was a man, with short silver hair, also clothed completely in black, though the top was exposed a bit to show his chest.  
  
The woman's expression was that of great seriousness, with only a small trace of worry. The man's, on the other hand, seemed amused, with a gigantic smirk on his face.  
  
"Who are you?" The woman finally questioned, her crimson eyes filled with extreme distrust.  
  
The other shrugged, and shook his head, not bothering to reply.  
  
"Tell me," She said coldly. "I know you're one of the three that attacked Cloud in the forest. It was lucky that he escaped with Marlene."  
  
"It was," The man admitted, "But I don't think you, Tifa Lockheart, or that little girl will be as lucky as he was."  
  
The woman, Tifa, gasped, surprised that he knew her name, and the fact that Marlene was in the church with them. After all, she had told the six year old to hide when she realized a threat was amongst them both.  
  
"What did you do with her?" She shouted angrily, hoping that he hadn't harmed her. She wouldn't have known, since the church was so large.  
  
"Nothing..." The man responded, and Tifa couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief. "Yet." He added shortly afterwards, with a tiny chuckle.  
  
"And you won't, now that you've come across me," Tifa said, trying to sound as confident as possible, though she was actually feeling incredibly nervous.  
  
"Oh, really?" The silver-haired man laughed, "Well, we'll see about that... Now, perhaps?"  
  
Then, as calm as he could possibly be, he cracked his knuckles, and shook his head, trying to get rid of any cricks in it. Tifa simply blinked in surprise, surprised by his total lack of haste.  
  
"Good-bye, sweet lady," The man then shouted, dashing towards her, his turquoise eyes wild with malice. He then attempted to knock her off her feet; by kicking her around her ankle. Fortunately, she was able to dodge it, and then countered with a swift punch to the side of his face.  
  
This didn't seem to bother him whatsoever, Tifa soon discovered. She was able to continue dodging all of his attacks, and able to throw in some of her own, but they didn't affect him the way she hoped they would. Occasionally a few seemed to hurt him, but the ratio of this was low. If this continued, she would eventually run out of energy, leaving him as the victor.  
  
"No!" She shouted aloud, causing the unknown man to grin broadly, as he threw an array of punches upon her. She was no bruised in several areas, and blood was flowing freely from her nose.  
  
"Scared?" He said slyly, "I can't say I don't blame you."  
  
Tifa, instead of answering, simply scowled—however, his talking had apparently made her a bit distracted, and cut into her ability to avoid his punches and occasional kicks—and the next one he made, once again aimed at her ankles, hit, and sent her crashing down to the ground with a noisy 'thud', and a small cry of pain.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't have a chance against me," The man said arrogantly, as he quickly bent over and grabbed her legs, slowly starting to go in small circles, planning on throwing her against the hard church wall. Tifa struggled as he did this, trying with all her might to force him off. But no avail. He continued to gain speed, and then, when he deemed there to be enough to send her flying, he let go.  
  
Now that she had control over her body, and knew exactly where she was going to land, she prepared herself, turning a bit in the air, so her feet would hit first, absorbing the impact in a small area.  
  
Luckily, this plan worked, and she was able to hit the wall gracefully, holding onto some of the rough ridges for a moment, before jumping down and landing on the rotten wood floor.  
  
Tifa looked over at her new enemy, pleased to see the smirk he had on his face was slowly starting to disappear.  
  
"Surprised?" She said, grinning at him, pulling herself up into an absolute standing position.  
  
"I think," He said quietly, tone of amusement gone. "That it's time to end this fight,"  
  
Tifa took this as a threat, and stood glaring at him, her gloved hands clenched into fists. However, he didn't rush at her this time—and instead walked over to her slowly, his right hand hidden a bit from behind his lower back. Tifa didn't move from where she was, not understanding his new plan. Why was he coming towards her so slowly?  
  
"I might as well tell you now..." He said, once he was about a meter or so away from her, "That my name is Loz."  
  
In response, Tifa's mouth fell open slightly, being as she wondered why he would tell her at such a random interval.  
  
Unfortunately, this left her unprepared for his next move—which was knocking her down to the floor, pinning her down with his own body, and placing his right arm into view—which revealed a syringe, which was filled with a reddish-green liquid.  
  
"I hope," He said quietly, plunging the needle of the syringe into her upper arm, right below the ribbon, "That the Geostigma virus isn't as bad as they make it out to be. Otherwise, your life won't be too great in the near future."  
  
By the completion of his small speech, Tifa was already unconscious, her eyes closed tightly. Loz simply stared down at her for a moment, before looking for a place to leave her. He knew Cloud would come for her soon; and he wanted to make sure he noticed her quickly, and in a 'dramatic' place.  
  
He soon found the perfect place. In a perfect circle, was a bed of flowers, the sun shining down upon them eerily.  
  
Loz smiled, and then picked Tifa's surprisingly light body up with both arms. Then, he soundlessly strolled over to the flowerbed, and laid her right in the center of it. Once this was done, he stood up, and took a step backwards, crossing his arms. The sun seemed to cast a heavenly like glow upon her. When he noticed this, he wondered what Cloud would do when he discovered her like this. The very thought made him smirk once more.  
  
"You killed her!" A voice cried suddenly from behind him. Loz calmly turned on his heel, not worrying about it whatsoever. His eyes met a six-year-old little girl, her black hair held up in a ponytail. "You killed Tifa!"  
  
When the little girl reached him, she started hitting him with her fists. Loz couldn't help but laugh—loudly at that.  
  
"Don't worry, she's not dead," He told her, and she suddenly stopped hitting him, as if shocked that he actually spoke to her.  
  
"R-Really?" She gasped, voice hopeful. Loz only nodded.  
  
"Yes, and I won't kill her, as long as you come with me willingly." He explained. "I don't want to take a screaming brat with me everywhere, after all."  
  
The little girl frowned, and glowered at him.  
  
"I don't like you," She said spitefully, gazing up at him. "You're a bad man. Daddy said not to trust people like you."  
  
"I see..." Loz said sadly. "Such a shame..." Then, without another word, he picked her up by the back of her neck roughly.  
  
"Let me go!" She shouted, her face turning a vivid red. Then, she started to scream at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would come and rescue her from this 'bad man'.  
  
Loz sighed heavily, shaking his head, holding her close to him, being as it was easiest for him that way. Even if she was screaming like mad, and wiggling insanely.  
  
"Be quiet," He ordered shrilly, his deep voice indicating anger. "Or I will kill your friend here... And you... Marlene Wallace."  
  
Marlene immediately stopped and looked up in his eyes, which were now literally right above her. He stared back down at her, his turquoise eyes cold. She knew, just going by those eyes, that what he had just said was no lie. So, she fell silent, ceased all movement, and placed her head against his chest, knowing there was no more she could do for Tifa.  
  
"That's a good girl," He said once she did this. "Now, let's go introduce you to my dear siblings, Kadaj and Yazoo. I'm sure they'll love to see you, little Marlene..." He then chuckled once again, and started to head out of the church, to go meet up with them.  
  
Marlene was shivering in fear, and closed her eyes tightly, wishing dearly that this wasn't happening. What could they want with her? A normal six- year-old girl, whom could hardly read?  
  
Then, suddenly, thoughts of three silver-haired people, whom all looked like Loz, began to boil up within her mind. They carried long, bloody knives, and they were all looking down at her, their identical cold turquoise eyes flashing within darkness.  
  
Clear tears began to run down Marlene's face, but she stayed quiet, not wanting herself, or Tifa, to be harmed....

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_End Chapter One_


	2. Chapter Two

_Nightmare_

_Chapter Two_

_Written by: Chibi Sephy_

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_Disclaimer: As much as I wished Yazoo was mine... He's not. Nor do I own his brothers, Marlene, Midgar, or any of those other things. Sorry! XD_

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"Where are we going?" Marlene questioned, after a long while of staying absolutely still and silent. This whole adventure was making her impatient, and her fear was slowly starting to disappear.

"Nowhere," Loz replied seriously, not bothering to look at her.

At the moment, they were on an old, completely deserted highway, that was in horrible condition. Every so often Loz would jump over a large pothole, which always frightened Marlene, being as he was still holding her in both arms.

Marlene simply frowned at his answer, her eyes narrowing in agitation. Loz then looked down at her out of the corner of his eye, as he stepped over a particularly large piece of rubble.

"Bored? Already?" He said; sounding slightly amused, hint of a smirk on his face. "Don't worry, you won't be for too much longer, for we're almost there."

This did not, by any means, reassure the little girl. She knew—or at least hoped—that Loz was past the point of killing her. But those two brothers that he had mentioned... Could they possibly be worse than him? At the mere thought of this, the same fear that had been in her before suddenly flared up again, causing her heart rate to quicken drastically.

"Ah, here we are!" Loz suddenly announced, suddenly veering to the right and kneeling down a bit to go underneath a gigantic metal bar, which had been torn down by Meteor two years before. Apparently this served as a sort of hidden entrance; because at the next moment they were in a dark building, which smelled suspiciously of death and decay. And Marlene, though she had never been in one, knew precisely what it was... An old laboratory.

Gleaming metal tables were scattered about everywhere, and the ceiling was decorated with a few long since broken hanging light bulbs. The lighting in the area was scarce—there was a tiny bit of sunlight emerging in from the entrance, and a few candles, which were only small pinpricks compared to what was truly needed to light the entire area.

"Kadaj!" Loz called out, moving his head a bit, showing that he was actually looking for his brother.

"What?" Replied a voice, which seemed far away. Marlene threw her head about frantically, searching for where it came from. No one was there.

However, a moment later she spotted a door, which seemed to lead into a hallway. Being as it was in the general direction of where the voice had emerged from; she guessed it _had_ come from there; and she calmed down a bit—though only a little.

"I've got her!" Loz responded quickly. This was almost automatically followed by the sound of pounding footsteps, which came from the direction of the door.

A moment later, a man emerged from the door. He was much shorter than Loz; and not to mention he looked a lot younger as well.

For one thing, he certainly wasn't what Marlene had pictured him to be.

Like his brother, he was clothed in all black. However, his hair, though the same color, wasn't at all short—it came down to his shoulders, and some even fell lightly in front of his right eye, to the point where it could hardly be seen.

Once the new man came up to her and Loz, Marlene couldn't help but begin to hold onto Loz tighter—something about this newcomer scared her, even more so than Loz had at first.

"This is the one we needed, right Kadaj?" Loz questioned; quickly noticing Marlene's clinging onto him with small annoyance.

Before answering; Kadaj reached out a hand, and grabbed Marlene's chin roughly, thrusting it into his direction. He stared eye-to-eye with her for a moment, and then nodded once.

"Yes... This is definitely the one the Master wanted," He finally replied, a sadistic smile crawling across his face. "Hey... Let me hold her for a moment," He then said shortly afterwards, in a slightly blissful tone of voice.

Loz simply nodded, and forced Marlene off of him easily, even though she had been holding onto him for dear life. He held her in mid-air for a moment by her armpits, before Kadaj reached out and grabbed her, and then pulled her close.

"My dear," He whispered into her ear, and a shiver automatically rose up Marlene's spine, "Don't worry—we aren't here to kill you. Otherwise, Loz here would have done so already." He then threw his head back and laughed; and when he finally stopped, the noise continued, being as the room echoed everything back.

Marlene still didn't say anything, and by simple instinct, started shivering. Kadaj smiled softly at this, and then, surprisingly, let her down upon her feet.

"If you try to escape," He said silkily, crossing his arms. "We will kill you. So, if I were you, I would stay."

Marlene nodded rapidly, her hazel eyes wide. At this, Kadaj turned away from her, and looked around.

"Where's Yazoo?" He asked to no one in particular, once he finished examining the room. "He should have heard you."

"I did," Said a low voice from behind Marlene. "I just didn't feel the need to state my opinion on the matter."

Both Kadaj and Loz turned in the voice's direction, looking right over Marlene. However, she simply froze, not trusting herself to glance in his direction.

Unfortunately, the last brother finally decided to join them, and strolled over to them, coming to a stop right behind Marlene.

"It's so nice to actually see you again, Yazoo," Kadaj said sarcastically, "After what—days?"

"Don't exaggerate—it doesn't become you," Yazoo replied easily, trace of amusement in his voice. "Well, enough about my absences. So, this girl is the one we needed?"

Kadaj nodded, and then grasped Marlene by the shoulders, turning her around so Yazoo could see her face.

Marlene's heart seemed to stop when she stared up at him.

"Sephiroth..." She whispered mindlessly, for that was indeed who he favored, even more so than the other two. Of course, she had only seen the insane one in pictures, but she knew his image well enough to compare him to this 'Yazoo'. His hair was almost the same length, though it did have a different texture to it. Not to mention his eyes were the same shape and color, which only added to the similarities.

Yazoo didn't comment on this; and instead gazed at her strangely. Kadaj, however, seemed to dislike her calling him that, and grabbed her arm and squeezed it hard, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Yazoo," He said, his voice sounding constricted. "His name is Yazoo, not Sephiroth."

"Y-yes sir," Marlene responded, biting down upon her lip. Kadaj then let go of her arm, and she simply let it fall by her side.

After a few moments of complete silence, Loz finally spoke.

"So what are we going to do with her?" He asked; looking towards Kadaj.

Kadaj leaned forward a bit, curled his fingers, and placed them under his chin; acting as if he was concentrating on something.

"Yazoo," He stated lowly, "I think you should be the one who watches over her until we need her."

"Me?" Yazoo responded, tilting his head to the side a bit. Kadaj smirked a bit at his reaction.

"Yes, you," He said evenly, "After all, you don't do much anyway. You'd make a perfect... Ah... Babysitter."

Yazoo snorted in irritation, but instead of replying verbally, he closed his eyes and looked down.

"Fine," He eventually said, though not making much of an actual movement. "But if she gets in my way, I will immediately forsake the duty and give her to one of you."

"Good!" Kadaj declared, clapping his hands together in earnest, as a false smile replaced his smirk. "That's taken care of then. Now, my dear Marlene, I would really appreciate it if you would please go with Yazoo, so he can show you around the place. Meanwhile, Loz and I shall have a nice little chat while you're gone." He then turned on his heel to face Loz, his fake smile from before disappearing.

Yazoo shook his head softly, before walking off, using his hand to signal to Marlene, so she would follow.

When she noticed this, she swallowed heavily, but obeyed.

"Just stay by me," He told her when they were standing outside the hallway Kadaj had emerged from earlier. "It's going to be darker in there than here, being as there are no candles or windows."

Marlene nodded in understanding, and waited for Yazoo to continue.

Although he didn't say anything more, he did go through the door. Marlene rushed after him, being as he was taking long strides.

As they walked further along, Marlene soon was well aware of Yazoo's warning.

For it was indeed _very_ dark.

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_End Chapter Two_


	3. Chapter Three

_Nightmare_

_Chapter Three_

_Written by: Chibi Sephy_

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_Disclaimer: If this were something I owned, would it be here for all to see for free? I think not. ;;_

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Marlene found staying right behind Yazoo remarkably dull, being as he rarely pointed out anything of interest. The only thing he did was remark on a few empty rooms or so, saying that she might be given the choice to stay in them later, as long as she behaved. They passed by many other doors; but they were all closed, and Yazoo didn't bother to comment about them.

It was a good thing that Yazoo's hair was such a light color, for otherwise Marlene would have never been able to locate him in the sinister hallway. He was entirely soundless, she soon realized. His footsteps were even lighter than her own, despite their obvious size and weight difference.

They continued to walk on and on; and Marlene was beginning to wonder whether this particular hallway would ever come to end. Now, even when Yazoo did speak, she didn't even bother to listen.

Marlene turned her head to the right, though she kept toddling ahead. The part of the wall that she could see was gray and undecorated, and a lot of it had cobwebs sprayed about over it. She made sure to not near those; being as she had a distinct fear of all multiple-legged creatures.

She saw, out of the corner of her eye that they were nearing yet another door; and although it was open, the man in front of her didn't say anything at all about it.

So, her curiosity overcoming her fear, she deliberately slowed her pace, and came to a stop right in front of this open entranceway. She then glanced over at Yazoo to make sure he hadn't noticed her stopping. Fortunately for her, he hadn't... Though it seemed he, too, had began to be a bit more sluggish. However, Marlene took this as a part of her imagination, and quickly ran as fast as she possibly could into the room.

Once she managed to reach the middle; she stopped and placed her hands on her knees, her heart hammering against her chest heavily.

"Who's there?" Said a raspy voice suddenly, from a corner of the room. Marlene froze, her eyes widening, since she had not that there was anyone there.

In response, she simply looked in the direction that it had emerged from; not making any noise, being as she was now holding her breath.

Her eyes soon came across a man in a wheelchair, whom was covered entirely in a white sheet. Even his face could not be seen from the dank shadows.

"Who's there?" The mysterious one repeated, "Kadaj? Is that you?"

Marlene didn't answer, but once again her heart rate increased. She wasn't sure why; being as she knew this man was in no way physically fit enough to harm her; but his very presence felt strong.

"No, Master," Marlene heard Yazoo say from the door, and to her very own surprise, she felt no worry. "It is I, Yazoo."

"Yazoo..." The cloaked one muttered under his breath, "Why are you here?"

He didn't respond at first; but instead settled his gaze upon Marlene.

"I just wanted to inform you," He stated quietly, a few moments later, "Of the capture of Marlene Wallace."

Marlene could practically feel a sadistic smile crawling across the cloaked man face.

"Wallace?" He croaked happily, "You managed to capture the young one... Good, good, that will help with the plan... Yes, yes, it will...."

"P-Plan?" Marlene finally manage to stutter, "W-What are you going to do? I don't want to be part of your 'plan'!"

She then heard the man chuckle lowly, which caused his shoulders to shake quite a bit, which was the most major movement he had made thus far.

"You shall find out soon enough, I'm sure," He offered as an answer, "But there's no doubt that you shall... Ah... Enjoy it."

Marlene simply blinked, and took a few steps backwards, already strongly detesting this new 'plan' of his.

"I don't want to be a part of it," She whimpered, "I don't..."

The man simply laughed, sounding hollow and empty, yet full of insanity at the same time. She had never heard of anything like it in her entire life, however little it currently was.

"Come," She suddenly heard Yazoo say, from right behind her, which didn't startle her at all. He then turned towards the other, and bowed deeply, before grabbing Marlene's right arm tightly, and exiting the room.

The cloaked man's maniacal laughter could still be heard when they were long gone...

--

"Who was he?" Marlene questioned, sounded exasperated, as they went down the hallway in the direction of the main room where Kadaj and Yazoo had been introduced to her.

Yazoo didn't respond at first; and Marlene has practically given up on an answer when he finally did speak.

"He's my Master," He responded in a voice barely over a whisper. "He created us—Kadaj, Loz, and me. Two years ago, right after the defeat of the supposedly great Sephiroth."

Marlene stared up at him, surprised. He, however, was looking straightforward, as if trying to avoid what was behind him. He was even paler than usual; if that was possible.

She didn't say anything more after this; knowing he probably wouldn't speak again. However, she ended up being incorrect, being as he continued.

"I was the first; you see," He stated hollowly, "And supposedly the most unsuccessful, in His eyes. Then there was Loz, and Kadaj. Kadaj is His favorite, by far. They were both given the capacity to age, and I wasn't... I was the main experiment, because I was the only one of many that was literally made from scratch. I was truly Jenova's only child, for a decent while. Until _they_ came along. The both of them. When they both came into existence; I quickly became only an afterthought, whom is useful only from time to time."

He then fell silent, and looked down at the ground, closing his eyes tightly. His breathing was uneven with anger; though it eventually began to slow down.

Marlene averted her gaze; hoping that this would avoid him flaring up at her. However; there was no true need to worry at all about it—For after only a few minutes, he was calm and quiet again, his head held high, his eyes wide.

"I would appreciate," He said in a lofty tone of voice, "If you would not mention all of this to my brothers."

Marlene could only nod in response, not quite knowing what she could possibly say.

"Good," He stated at this, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, letting a soft, satisfied smile slide across his lips. "I guarantee you will not regret that."

"I know," She murmured, beginning to lag behind him, being as her strength was starting to wane. "I know."

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_End Chapter Three_


	4. Chapter Four

_Nightmare_

_Chapter Four_

_Written by: Chibi Sephy_

_Disclaimer: Must you all always remind me of the fact that I don't own Advent Children? ;;_

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As they walked down the remaining bit of the hallway; Marlene began to think of her adult friend, Tifa. The last time she had seen her, she had been unconscious, after her encounter with Loz. All Marlene really knew was that she had been injected with some mysterious substance.

"Yazoo?" She suddenly muttered quietly, to her very own surprise. Yazoo wordlessly turned his head back towards her; being as she was still lagging behind a bit. She swallowed deeply, and then asked the burning question that was suddenly rising up within her. "Loz..." She began, biting down a bit upon her lip, "He caused Tifa to be knocked out... After he used a needle on her. How did he do that?"

Yazoo froze suddenly, the expression on his face turning into one of slight shock. Unfortunately for Marlene, he decided not to answer; and instead walk forward again, this time at a slightly faster pace, his turquoise eyes glittering strangely.

Marlene didn't quite understand these actions; but continued to follow him anyway. After all, there was a chance, however small, that she would find out more information....

After only a few moments, they reached the main room once again. This time, however, it was even darker, being as the remaining light that had come from the entrance had disappeared, because the night had came to their part of Gaia.

Marlene automatically gazed across the room; faintly hoping to see either Loz or Kadaj. She wasn't entirely sure why; except she felt a light intuition-That is, if she saw them, she might could find out more about the mysterious reddish-green substance.

Of course, there was always the likely possibility that she wouldn't find out about anything, but the positive apparently overrode the negative in her young mind.

"Yazoo," She heard suddenly, coming from her left. She instantly recognized it as Kadaj's voice. "How did your little tour of our 'residence' go?"

"Rather well," Yazoo replied coolly, "No problems whatsoever." He then glanced down at Marlene and smiled his ever-so-soft smile. Marlene bit down upon her lip at this; and looked down at the floor.

"Guess what Loz told me?" Kadaj said joyfully; acting as if he hadn't heard a word Yazoo had said. Shortly after he had said those words, he ran towards Yazoo, grinning broadly.

"If it is about Lockheart being infected with Geostigma," Yazoo stated tonelessly, "Then I already know."

At this, Kadaj's grin fell a few notches, and an expression of outright irritation replaced his look of maniacal glee.

"How did you find out already?!" He questioned; obviously wanting to know the source. Yazoo; instead of answering verbally, aimed a pointed finger down at Marlene. This made him turn towards her—And the look on _her_ face made them both raise a curious brow.

"Geostigma?" She said hauntingly; gazing at them with troubled eyes. "But... Many people have died from that... Tifa might die...."

"Only those whom are weak die," Kadaj explained quickly, a wry smirk edging its way across his pale face. "I wholeheartedly believe that she will survive this... 'Challenge', of sorts. Though, knowing her gigantic 'justice' streak, I think that she would rather _be_ dead." He then chuckled lightly to himself, in a style similar to that of the mysterious man in the wheel chair. Out of the corner of her eye, Marlene noticed that Yazoo's lips became a firm line, and a cold glare had settled in his glittering eyes.

Marlene then averted her gaze; and looked, once again, towards the sadistic Kadaj.

"What... Does it really do, if they survive?" She asked quietly; her small face slowly becoming paler and paler in worry.

Kadaj abruptly stopped chuckling; and let his pupils fall over her again. He then wordlessly knelt down in front of her; letting his knees fall to the ground.

He stared icily into her hazel eyes for a minute; and Marlene had to fight a strong instinct within her that was trying to make her pull away from him as quickly as possible.

"You needn't worry;" He stated in a tone that was barely above a whisper. "For there's absolutely no point in it. Whatever happens—Whether to her, or you, is far beyond your control. It is all up to what fate decides." He then raised his left hand, and let it touch the side of her dark hair. As he stroked her dark locks mindlessly; another small smile crawled across his pasty face; though this time he barely showed his teeth.

Marlene slowly began to feel her heart ease into a state of extreme frostiness. Fortunately, however, he soon edged away from her, and stood up.

"Where is Loz at now, anyway?" Yazoo asked, once his sibling was standing up straight.

Kadaj was completely silent for a moment, tapping his foot a bit, as if trying to retrieve some information from the back of his mind, that he had thought of as little importance before.

"He decided he wanted to ask the Midgarians about some... Things," He replied; with a lame shrug. "I doubt that he'll take too long; since he decided to actually wear a disguise this time."

Yazoo only nodded as a response. Then, looking rather bored, he crossed his arms and sighed heavily.

"I wonder," He said to no one in particular, "Whether it's true or not about the fact that children take to the Geostigma better... Or is that just a rumor; created out of the fear that radiates from protective parents whom want to keep them isolated from the Planet?"

"So far," Kadaj answered, sounding quite relaxed, "It seems to be true. It certainly seems that way; by any chance. They have a slightly higher survival rate than the adults do... Which, I must say, is the opposite of most... 'Illnesses'." He then shook his head slightly in bitter amusement. "I must say that they will indeed be great for the future... _Our_ future, that is."

Marlene looked towards Yazoo, expecting some kind of explanation of what Kadaj was speaking of.

However, he suddenly didn't seem to be in the mood to contemplate this. He had his left hand to his temple; and his breathing was quite shallow and quick.

"Yazoo?" Kadaj said curiously; noticing his sibling's strange current state. "The hell's wrong with you?"

Yazoo didn't reply; and instead, fell to his knees, clutching his head with both of his hands.

"Please stop this..." He murmured lowly to himself, in a pitiful sounding voice. "Stop showing me these things... I don't want to see them..." Unfortunately; instead of looking any better, a horribly nauseated expression came across his thin face...

And then, he fainted, falling to the cold ground with only a small thud.

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_End Chapter Four_


	5. Chapter Five

_**Nightmare **_

_**Chapter Five**_

_**Written by: Chibi Sephy**_

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_**Disclaimer: I would only own it if everyone on the world just randomly died. I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, so therefore it's still Square-Enix's. ;D **_

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* * *

**_

"Yazoo...?" Kadaj said a bit apprehensively, staring blankly at his slightly older brother's still body. He then took a few large steps forward; until he was by Yazoo's side. Following that, he knelt down by his side, and grasped the side of his face, as if making sure he was _really _unconscious. He stared at him momentarily, before raising his head slightly, so he could see the other's eyelids. They were now completely still; just like the rest of him.

To Marlene's surprise, Kadaj turned slightly and glanced at her, his eyes cold and serious.

"Girl," He said placidly, "Over in the left corner of the room, from where you are standing, there should be a bag full of healing potions... Retrieve it for me _now."_

"O-Of course!" She said hastily with a deep nod. Then, without the slightest hesitation, she ran in the direction that he had ordered her to. Once she actually reached the corner, however, she accidentally tripped over the bag he had spoken off, and hit the wall with her head.

The throbbing pain on her forehead was not her main concern, though. Instead, it was the sound of breaking glass, from a potion bottle that she had tripped over. The dusty brown bag could now be seen clearly, because of a green potion that had begun to leak. Marlene couldn't help but swallow deeply and look over in Kadaj's direction, hoping that this wasn't the potion he would need.

At the moment, he was not looking at her. In fact, his eyes were closed tightly—as if he were thinking deeply about something. However, she didn't let this slow her down, and instead she grabbed the stained bag and jogged over to him, dragging it behind her.

"Here!" She gasped, surprised by how heavy it had been. In that tiny bit of time, sweat had actually started to trickle down her face.

Kadaj, though, looked as calm as ever as he focused his attention upon her. He reached out for the top of the bag, and grasped it easily, noting the stain with an expression of disgust. Fortunately for Marlene, he neglected to mention anything about it, and settled himself on locating the particular one he needed. He quickly found the one he needed—A dark red concoction, which was glimmering slightly from the tiny bit of light the room possessed. Kadaj held it in front of his eyes for a moment, as if examining it to make sure it was the correct one. Apparently it was, and he glanced down upon Yazoo, preparing to administer it.

However, to both Kadaj's and Marlene's great surprise, Yazoo's eyes had finally opened. Even Kadaj, whom was supposed to be startled by nothing, jerked back a bit.

The main reason for this was that his eyes somehow looked far different than what they did just minutes before. Only half-open, they possessed much less of the glittering turquoise color that they did before, and instead had more of a bluish color lurking within them.

"Are they... Safe?" He murmured lowly, staring up at his confused younger brother blankly. "Is the rest of my family... Safe?"

"Your family...?" Kadaj said lowly, his brows furrowed greatly. "Loz, you mean? Of course he's fine!"

Yazoo shook his head softly, his long hair getting tangled up because of the hard ground below.

"No, no... My wife, my children..." He stated simply, still sounding dull and lifeless. Marlene then looked straight at Kadaj, to see what he had to say about this.

"B-But you don't _have_ a wife or children!" He spluttered angrily, clenching his teeth together in anger. "All you _have_ is us!"

By this time, however, Yazoo's eyes had closed once more, and his head had slid to the side of his cheek. All was quiet in the room now.

"Why," Kadaj said mainly to himself, paying absolutely no attention to Marlene. Then, he continued, his voice rising with each individual word. "Why did I have to be cursed with a damnable brother like you?!"

"Kadaj?" Came Loz's voice suddenly from the main entrance, his tone sounding slightly elevated from mild puzzlement.

Kadaj calmly gazed upwards slowly, being as he had still been looking at Yazoo. Marlene turned towards him as well; being as it was almost instinctual to do so.

Loz had dyed his hair a dark blue, almost navy color—he had obviously done it to hide his true hair color, which would have otherwise made people automatically be untrusting of him.

"What is it? What happened to him?" He questioned, raising a brow, and walking closer to them.

Kadaj didn't bother to reply at all, and turned his attention back to Yazoo, whom was still unmoving. Then, without any uncertainty, he opened his brother's mouth and poured the red liquid down his throat, making sure it emptied slowly, though making sure every last drop went down.

It took only a few seconds for the effects to work upon him, and he woke up quickly, coughing and spitting up the bitter liquid.

"Good morning," Kadaj said in an arrogant way, when Yazoo had the entire potion out of his system, and was sitting up. "So, how are your wife and kids doing?"

Both Loz and Yazoo stared absentmindedly at him, not understanding at all about what he had meant.

"That's what I thought," He then stated with a heavy sigh. "Oh well. We'll deal with this later... Loz?"

"Hmm?" Loz said in acknowledgment, having not expected his name to be called so quickly.

"Anything of interest?" Kadaj said, rolling his eyes. "After all, that's what you had been sent out for... To actually _discover_ things we don't yet know..."

"I _did_ find out that Strife discovered Lockheart, and he knows she has Geostigma," Loz said hurriedly, hoping to get the best news out first. "And he's desperate for revenge, going by what they—The Midgarians--say. He suspects us... He's been asking them for hours whether they've seen any 'men with silver hair'. Alas, none have been noticed recently." By the end of this, a smile had appeared across his lips, having found all of that to be amusing.

"So there's no lead as to which one of us inflicted the disease upon her?" Kadaj asked quietly, making sure he had the facts straight. When Loz nodded, he did the same, and a smirk edged across his own face.

"That's good... Without a direct target, he'll go against all of us with equal strength... And, of course, that will weaken him. One by one, we'll attack. I shall go last... Because I _really_ want to be the one who finishes him off. As for you two... Well, you can decide who goes first. Preferably, I would like for you to go first, Loz. I would _really_ like to talk to Yazoo about something, if you don't mind. We'll have to stay around the same area though, since we don't want him recovering his strength on us, after all."

"But what about..." Loz said, his gaze averting over to Marlene. "Her? Who's going to make sure she doesn't try to run off?"

Both Kadaj and Yazoo then turned their heads in her direction, with the latter looking deadened, and the other with a look of sadistic interest, his left hand on his chin.

"I shall watch over her for a while," He soon replied, smirking slightly. "Just make sure to eventually lead Strife over here, and make sure he has plenty of strength left... I really _do_ want a challenge, after all. Yazoo, you should fight him first. Then, you are to immediately come back here. I want to discuss something with you. Is that clear?"

Yazoo solemnly shook his head at this, and Kadaj automatically frowned in response.

"I was appointed to watch over her," Yazoo said calmly, "And so I will continue to do so. We shall go with our original plan."

Kadaj sighed heavily, and placed his hand on his forehead, and sighed in a mocking way.

"But we're still in that certain predicament about what to do with our beloved little guest," He said, trace of amusement within his voice.

"She shall go with me," Yazoo responded easily, "I'll make sure she won't run away, believe me."

"_Fine_," Kadaj stated, now sounding quite annoyed. "But if she does happen to escape, you'll regret it... And you should believe _me_ with that."

Yazoo nodded curtly, and then began to stand up. With a single glance towards Loz, he took a single step forward, and grabbed Marlene's small hand quickly. She almost flinched, but held back, and instead grasped his tighter.

"We will be going now, then," He said staring icily towards Kadaj, whom did the same to him. "You can be sure that I'll lead Strife to either you or Loz."

Then, practically dragging Marlene behind him, he walked past Loz, and then out of the main entrance, without a single backwards glance...

* * *

_End Chapter Five_


	6. Chapter Six

_Nightmare_

_Chapter Six_

_Written by: Sadako Kurosawa_

_Disclaimer: Please don't sue me, I'm writing this entirely for fun. _

_Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update. My mind just died and didn't want to write. I'm going to try to break out of this stage, but I might fail. XD Also, I did change my username. _

_Also, know that this is an Advent Children A/U now. And my writing's kind of strained right now, I know. So I apologize._

_Thanks for all the reviews, though!_

* * *

"Are you going to fight… Him?" Marlene questioned quietly, not looking at the tall silver-haired man whom was still holding on to her. "Cloud?"

They were walking at a much slower pace now… Ten minutes had already passed; though it seemed to have been a lot longer of a time for the young girl. She didn't want Cloud to get hurt from a fight. Or Yazoo, at that matter. Although he certainly wasn't the favorite person she had ever met, she still didn't want him to be harmed.

Yazoo didn't answer her directly, but looked at her out of the corner of his eye, looking quite tranquil. Marlene simply stared at him mournfully, a tiny frown on her curved face.

They continued to walk, their footsteps echoing throughout the grave silence. With every step she took, Marlene grew paler and paler, looking absolutely grotesque after a while. Her head was beginning to throb from a horrible headache, and she kept closing her eyes and putting her left hand on her broad forehead, moaning every so often.

However, Yazoo took no notice, going on at the same pace, as she began to go slower and slower. Finally, she collapsed, letting out a small cry.

Hearing this, he stopped, and looked back upon her frail body. With a small sigh, he strolled back over to her, kneeling beside her. Tilting his head to the side a bit, his long silver hair falling gently over his shoulder, he made sure she had no injuries from her fall. When he noticed none, he removed the glove from his right hand, and placed in on her forehead.

"You're quite hot," He said to her in a mumble, face emotionless. "I didn't think one could become sick so quickly… I suppose you can't be acting such a thing."

Marlene didn't reply, her breath coming out in small gasps, her eyes closed completely. Yazoo removed his hand, placed it on his chin, and gazed up at the murky sky, wondering about what he should do.

"Kadaj won't like this," He said at last, putting his glove back on, grabbing the little girl under the armpits, and lifting her up, "But I shall go through that challenge when it comes. Besides, the Master will want to make sure that this child is in the best of health…"

Holding her, he stood up, and leaned her against his shoulder, wrapping his arms around her completely. Marlene didn't move through the entire process.

He looked at her face, which was glistening with a thick layer of sweat. Then, he began to amble on to the town, noticing, bitterly, that the wind was beginning to pick up, and the clouds above them were growing darker.

As he went along, Yazoo felt something big was coming, and it wasn't just going to be a storm.

* * *

As he reached the main 'living' part of Midgar, it was raining heavily. Every time a drop landed on the bare skin on his face, it burned softly, showing that there was still some pollution in the air of Midgar, even after two years of no activity.

Yazoo pulled Marlene as close as he could to him, attempting to shield her from the painful rain. She was still unmoving, despite everything.

There were still a few people outside, mostly under lame porches they had built themselves with the materials they had had around them.

Many looked at him with gigantic eyes, knowing he looked very similar to someone they used to see in the news all the time. However, Yazoo simply ignored their intense stares, looking downwards, at the ground.

After wandering about for a few minutes, he was unable to locate what he was searching for—a doctor's office of some sort.

Not willing to ask any citizen where it was, he went over every inch of the area again, knowing there had to be an office somewhere around.

He checked every single doorway, looking for signs. Eventually, he discovered a door with a faded black sign, which said, in horrible pink text, 'Doctor's Of ice'. The second 'F' was nowhere to be seen.

Yazoo held onto Marlene with one arm; and used his other to knock on the wooden door a couple times. He waited for a few moments, before letting himself in the unlocked door.

The room only had a few lamps to light it, but he could see well enough. To the left of the door, there were a few ratty, padded chairs, which he laid Marlene across, before exploring the little room.

It made him feel a bit nostalgic. Vials and syringes were everywhere, and though it wasn't clean, the room was full of an earthy white color.

"How may I help… Y-you?" Came a voice from a room deeper into the building, suddenly sounding surprised and fearful when his eyes landed on Yazoo.

Yazoo turned to the man, who was blinking madly at him. He looked young, probably no older than twenty-five.

"Are you… Sephiroth…?" He asked, making sure he kept his distance. Yazoo didn't reply, and instead pointed to Marlene, not saying a word.

The doctor followed his finger, and saw the little girl lying on the chairs. He then practically tiptoed over to her, keeping one eye on his strange visitor the entire time.

He looked her over, and then, sounding like he wished he wasn't where he was, he said,

"It's nothing to worry about. Just a simpleAlbeit, ferocioussickness, brought about by extreme stress. She'll be feeling better in a few days, most likely."

Yazoo was silent for a moment. Then, with a furtive glint in his eye, he looked directly at the doctor.

"I shall let her stay here, to make sure it doesn't get worse." He stated without an ounce of emotion. "I will accompany her, however, to make sure nothing happens to her while she's under your care."

"That's fine, S-Sir," The doctor replied, staring at the floor in defeat and intense worry. "I w-will need to know some information about her and you first, just so you know."

Yazoo nodded; knowing he wasn't going to give away any true information. The other sighed in slight relief, glad that the great general of days past wasn't angry. Following this, he took a notepad out of a pocket in his lab coat, and took a pencil out of the opposite one.

"Okay… First, I need to know your name."

"Sephiroth." Yazoo answered wryly, sounding—and looking—incredibly bored. The doctor wrote this down rather shakily.

"And hers?"

"Aino," He said after a moment, letting the first name he thought of come out.

"Are you her father?"

"…Yes."

The other paused for a moment, and looked at both Yazoo and Marlene, comparing them.

"Not much of a family resemblance, huh?" He said, with a nervous chuckle. Yazoo did nothing in response, so the doctor continued.

"Any past medical problems?"

"Not that I know of."

"Good… And that's all the information I needed to know." And so, their conversation was over, though Yazoo had a suspicion that he ended the questioning early. However, he didn't actually care, as long as the girl recovered soon under this one's care.

"…Are you going to stay with her until she recovers?" The doctor questioned quietly, probably hoping he wasn't.

Yazoo simply walked over to a chair and sat down, in a position that insinuated a long wait. He knew that Kadaj wouldn't like his leaving Marlene there alone… Or at all, but that would be something he would have to deal with later.

The caretaker stared at him for a moment after he saw this movement, biting down on his lower lip absentmindedly, his eyes downcast.

"Well… Since you'll be here for a while then, I'll go to the store now and get some beverages and snacks." He then said, not looking him directly in the eyes. Then, keeping one eye on Yazoo, he quickly left the building. Yazoo watched him solemnly, hoping that he would come back soon to take care of the girl. Though he figured that there was a chance that he had simply left for good. But it didn't matter. As long as she had shelter, he was sure she would recover.

The Master needed her in good health, as far as he knew anyway, so it would be best if he waited.

So Yazoo waited, making absolutely no noise, his body slowly beginning to droop from boredom. He soon found himself counting the individual black dots on the cold hard floor. He knew now that the doctor had deserted them—it had taken far too long for him to return just with drinks and such.

However, as he was thinking this, he heard a loud door slam to his side. So, he had been wrong, surprisingly. He glanced upwards slowly, but when he saw a different pair of eyes looking at his instead of the doctor's, he immediately jumped upwards out of the chair, getting ready for a fight he was sure would come.

The newcomer was staring at him with great hate, his normally spiky blonde hair dripping gigantic drops of rain.

Behind him, was the doctor, attempting to look as small as possible. Fortunately for him, though, Yazoo's attention was definitely not focused on him.

"I've finally found you…" Cloud Strife said, in a voice hardly above a whisper.

* * *

_End Chapter Six_


	7. Chapter Seven

Nightmare

_Chapter Seven _

_Written By: Sadako Kurosawa_

_**--**_

Notice: This is very different from the true movie now, as you all know. However, I feel like continuing it. I'm just going to do a total A/U from here on out for sure, I suppose. And since I haven't written anything much in a while, I've got to get back in my groove. So… Yeah.

_**--**_

"Strife." Said Yazoo quietly, standing up from his chair. Neither made a move, apart from their eyes, both which narrowed simultaneously. Cloud's expression showed extreme anger, and his fists were clenched tightly.

"First Tifa may be infected with Geostigma," Cloud stated coldly, "Now Marlene. Once again, innocent people are suffering. I thought it had all ended two years ago… But this Geostigma… And it's your entirefault. You, and those two others. Don't you realize that there's no point behind it? Obeying 'Mother' or whatever only leads to more suffering. Yours too!" He reached behind his back, where his massive sword was, and pulled it in front of him. "I didn't want to fight again… I thought it was truly over. I thought I could find Aeris again…" He glanced down then, apparently remembering things of the past. Yazoo did nothing, and simply watched him. He'd let Strife attack first, just for the challenge factor of it. Cloud then began to speak again, his voice becoming higher and stronger in tone.

"This is going to end. Maybe not today, but it will at least be the beginning of the end." With these words, Cloud attacked, aiming the sword at Yazoo's neck. Yazoo simply ducked, and dodged it easily. He grabbed his own weapon, the Velvet Nightmare, and quickly fired two shots in Cloud's direction. They made contact with his left arm, and before Cloud could glance down to look at his injury, Yazoo slashed at him with the side of it.

"Stop, stop, please!" The doctor shouted, running in from outside. "You're going to ruin my office! I had to do a lot of stuff to rebuild it, you know! Oh, and remember your daughter, Sephiroth! Think about the child! Pretty please?"

The two simply ignored him, and continued to fight. The wound on Cloud's arm wasn't bothering him at all, and already a thin slice mark was on Yazoo's chest, with a small stream of blood leaking from it. Strangely enough, the battle was almost completely silent. It continued on for several minutes, with neither side giving up in any shape or form. They were perfectly matched. Unfortunately for the doctor, neither really cared for his supplies. Vials and tables were falling over everywhere, when one fell over one.

Then, suddenly, they all heard an ear-splitting scream come from the few chairs. Marlene had awakened, and while she still looked feverish, she knew what was happening. Yazoo, shocked at the noise, glanced back. In this moment of 'weakness', Cloud struck him across the stomach, causing him to fall on the floor. The Velvet Nightmare fell out of his hand, and slid across the floor. Cloud then aimed the sword sideways against his neck threateningly. Yazoo stared hatefully up at him, scowling, but didn't move. Marlene stopped screaming when she realized what was going on.

"Cloud…" She muttered quietly and weakly. She feebly raised a hand toward him, and tried to say something else, but failed miserably. So she instead pointed at Yazoo, and shook her head slowly. Cloud attempted to give her a small smile, and nodded.

"You don't have to worry about him anymore, Marlene. Once I take care of him, I'll take you back to Tifa, okay? Then everything will be back to normal once again, after I manage to get all the other children back to the orphanage. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Marlene didn't respond in any matter, but Cloud saw something reflected in her eyes that he thought was some sort of pity. But whom was it directed towards?

Meanwhile, Yazoo was trying to grab the Velvet Nightmare while Cloud's attention was on Marlene. Unfortunately, while he had rather long arms, it had slid too far away to retrieve easily. Then, he accidentally let out a small, annoyed gasp, which Cloud's acute hearing picked up on. He looked down at him, and Yazoo became still again. He knew when he was beat… And having a gigantic sword over your neck is one of the ways one can easily defeat someone.

"If Marlene wasn't here," Cloud said with clenched teeth, in a voice Marlene couldn't hear, "I would kill you right now." Then, to prove his point, the brought the sword even closer to Yazoo's neck.

"Um… Sirs…" Interrupted the doctor, who had gone outside so he wouldn't have to witness the further destruction of his beloved office. "Or rather, Mr. Strife, sir. There are two people coming that look a lot like this Sephiroth here. They're coming pretty fast, too, just so you know." He then ran to the very back of the office, and hid behind a counter. Cloud watched him for a short moment, before leaning down beside Yazoo, grabbing a Materia from a pocket somewhere. He made sure to keep a safe distance away, with the sword in the exact same place. He then raised the Materia up to his mouth, and whispered a spell. Yazoo automatically began to feel extremely drowsy, only briefly acknowledging in his mind what it was—a sleeping spell. He should have guessed… And right before he dozed off, he saw his brothers, Kadaj and Loz, burst into the room, with Cloud standing there, expecting them with his weapon ready…

_**--**_

Yazoo woke up to Marlene's face, who was peering at him curiously. She no longer appeared sick, so he guessed that at least some time had passed. She threw herself backwards when she finally acknowledged that he was awake. He then sat up, looking around the room. He didn't recognize it whatsoever. Did Kadaj and Loz bring him here? Did Strife locate their 'hidden' area? What had happened?

However, being as he didn't voice them, he didn't get any answers. Marlene watched him for only a moment longer, before running out of the room and going down the staircase just outside the door. From the open doorway, he heard her yell out a few names, which he couldn't quite comprehend. The sleep spell was still rearing its ugly head over him. He decided to lay back down and see what fate had in store for him.

A few moments later, he heard several pairs of footsteps coming up the staircase. Yazoo only looked in that general direction, without sitting up. Marlene was in the lead, followed by a woman clad in black (whom he assumed was Tifa Lockheart), a man with blonde hair and goggles, wearing a blue shirt, and carrying a spear, and a rather large person with a metal arm. (Wallace, maybe?) The last was another young woman, who, going by her clothing, appeared to come from Wutai.

Yazoo sat up on the bed then, not saying a word—he held himself up with his arms, and waited for one of them to say something. He tilted his head slightly, making himself appear rather bored.

The one with the spear came up to him first, repeating the action Cloud had earlier, with his neck. Yazoo kept up his pose, however, and stared at the spear-bearing man with icy eyes, blinking lazily every so often.

Marlene was now in the back of the group, trying to appear as small as possible. For some reason, she seemed embarrassed now, though no one was really paying any attention to her.

The metal-armed man was the first to speak. His voice was gruff, laced with great distrust.

"What the hell are all of ya doin' to the children!" He questioned, his face contorting into a strange mask of fury. "It don't make any sense! It's just like that 'Reunion' thing with Cloud two years ago. 'Cept ya'll are using _kids_! Jus' think… If we hadn't got Marlene in time… What _you_ all could have done to her." He paused for a moment, beginning to shake with anger. "_No!_" He said, lunging at Yazoo with his massive arms.

"Don't Barret, don't!" Said Tifa, grabbing his shoulder and trying to pull him back. The girl from Wutai aided her. They were successful, though just barely. "Barret, if you hurt him now… You know what we have to do, right? Remember what Cloud told us to do?"

Yazoo suddenly grew interested in what they were saying, and hoped that the large fellow wouldn't remember. However, he simply slumped his shoulders, and nodded deeply.

"Yeah, yeah, I 'member…" Barret stated miserably. He then felt Yazoo's gaze, and looked right back at him. "But I ain't ever gonna forgive you for anythin'." He said, and abruptly left the room, his footsteps echoing loudly down the stairs. The remaining three adults just stood there in silence for a moment, with the spear-bearing one keeping it exactly in place.

Everyone unexpectedly turned to Tifa, who had her fist in a ball under her chin. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was thinking deeply.

"What are you going to tell him?" Said the young Wutaian girl curiously, acting as if Yazoo wasn't even in the room. "I mean, if you don't want to tell him, I can. You wouldn't mind, would you?" She then gave a mischievous grin, which Tifa didn't see.

Tifa opened her eyes, nodded confidently, and smiled. "Well, I guess you are better at speaking than I am, Yuffie," She admitted, and gestured towards Yazoo.

Yuffie walked over and sat on the bed, sitting right beside him, confident that he wouldn't hurt her, since he didn't have a weapon, and she was being guarded because of the spear. "Well, you see," She said, while crossing her arms. "Cloud killed your brothers, and left you alive because of me. Mainly 'cause I asked for him to keep one of you alive so I could get your Materia. So, where is it? I mean, you might as well give it to me, because you'd be dead otherwise anyway."

"_Yuffie!_" Tifa shouted disbelievingly. "Be serious! You have way too much Materia to begin with…" Yazoo, however, was staring at her blankly. He had figured the Materia part was a joke, but the other thing she mentioned, dealing with his brothers…

"Is it true?" He asked, much to his own surprise and the others. "Kadaj and Loz are… Dead?"

_**--**_

_End Chapter Seven_


End file.
